Favorites: Megan Whalen Turner

Megan Whalen Turner. The Queen's Thief series.

I read The Thief and I was hooked. This series is the absolutely delightful story of Gen, a young thief sent by his king on a dangerous and nearly impossible mission to prevent a war and save the kingdom in which he grew up. I love the way Turner creates a clever, talented, resourceful hero who I nonetheless find engaging and funny rather than arrogant. He gains in power and maturity throughout the series in surprising and compelling ways. The story takes twists and turns that kept me reading avidly from one book to the next (and waiting anxiously for the third book). While Gen is clearly the hero (and personally I prefer female leads), all of the characters are interesting and the plot takes some unexpected twists and turns that kept me hurtling from page to page. It really is simply delightful storytelling at its best, and I recommend it to anyone who likes young adult fantasy and adventure.